Honeywell has won a four-year $45 million contract to develop a 700shp (520kW) class engine to demonstrate advanced small gas turbine technologies for use in future military and commercial vehicles, as part of the US Army's Small Heavy Fuel Engine (SHFE).
"Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which this engine has strong application for, are playing an increasingly critical role in warfare," says Ron Rich, director of advanced technology for Honeywell's Propulsion Systems enterprise.
State-of-the-art
"Honeywell's future engine technology being developed in SHFE reduces fuel consumption by more than 20%, improves power-to-weight by more than 50% and reduces life-cycle costs by more than 35%."
Ming Lau, chief, Power Systems Division, at the US Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Virginia, says: "SHFE technologies will be key in providing affordable advanced turbine engines to equip current and future Army unmanned and manned aircraft.
"The demonstrated engine weight and fuel savings will provide improved mission endurance for future rotorcraft by more than 20% as compared with current state-of-the-art turbine engine capabilities."
The work will take place in Phoenix where Honeywell's Engines, Systems and Services business is based.
Source: Flight Daily News
